Work Like an Egyptian

I showed you the parts of our new home that are completed but alluded to the fact that other areas are "in progress." So we've had electricians in here the last two days installing some lighting and plugs. Sometimes only one; sometimes as many as three. They seem to just kind of mysteriously come and go. You don't ask---at least they're here!!

But it's amazing how little they seem to accomplish. You know what the room looks like before the work begins. The guys go up and are banging and drilling and making all sorts of racket. You check on the progress an hour later and nothing looks different. How is this possible? Were they playing a recording of construction noise or something??

When they showed up on time this morning to finish what seemed easily a one day job I wanted to hug them because--well, unless this is your initial visit to my brave new world, you know why--and then slap them because I was going to have to endure another day of pounding and debris in our new, previously clean place. "Why pounding,?" you Americanos might astutely ask. Because the walls are made of concrete here, not sheetrock. So holes are chiseled, not sawed.

And these guys speak no English, which gives me the opportunity to share with you the Holy Grail of expat existence----Google Translator. With our lawyer--with our landlord--with all the workers who have come in and out of our lives these last four months, this tool has been a lifesaver. Sometimes, like our episode at the dry cleaners, playing Hangman and Charades is a lot of fun. But when important stuff involving real money is involved it's important that everyone really understands.

It's not perfect, but-------. I sit and type what I want to say. Entende(understand)? Si. You get up, the other person sits down and types the reply. Back and forth. Our landlord and I have become really good friends mainly communicating this way. It's pathetic, we both admit, but until our Espanol is up to par, this is far better than major misunderstandings and disappointments.

So tomorrow the boys will be back for Day 3 of a one day job and I'm starting to understand how the foremen on those pyramid projects must have felt. "Holy Ra, these stone blocks moved like, what, ten feet yesterday? I mean, these slaves are good guys and all, but in the name of Osiris, is this damned tomb going to get built before Ramses friggin' dies? I flog 'em; I beat 'em; I kill a few as an example--nothin' works with these guys!!"

And then there's the other crew that's supposed to have shown up to move our refrigerator from the 2nd floor for the last two days. Sigh---------------.